Outbrain hires new CFO, but it won't be going public anytime soon

Paid content recommendation service Outbrain just hired a new chief financial officer today, which is fueling speculation that the company will be going public in the near future.

Outbrain offers a service that recommends links to related articles or other such content via a banner embedded within a publication’s article page. Publishers get paid based on how often readers click through to those recommended stories.

As for the new hire, Outbrain has tapped former RighNow Technologies CFO Jeff Davison as its first chief financial officer. The move, according to some Israeli media, could signify that the company is getting ready to make an initial public offering (IPO).

But that speculation could be a bit premature. First off, Outbrain hasn’t started the long process of filing paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to make an IPO, as AllThingsD points out.

“There are strong network effects in this business, and both users and publishers gain most by having one vibrant marketplace,” Outbrain CEO Yaron Galai told AllThingD. “We’ll keep exploring all funding routes, including the public route, that will help us maintain our leadership.”

So basically, the move to go public is on the table, but it’s not happening anytime soon.

Founded in 2006, the Israel-based startup has previously raised a total of $64 million in funding to date.